Biography of Richard A McHenry, Independence Co, AR

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SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northeast Arkansas. 
Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889.
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page 691

Richard A. McHenry is an extensive farmer of Big Bottom Township, Independence
County. He was born in Batesville, Ark., January 12, 1840, and is a son of
James and Mary (Parker) McHenry, natives, respectively, of Tennessee and
Kentucky. James McHenry went to Kentucky when quite young, where he married,
subsequently settling at Batesville, Ark., when there were but few people
living in that part of the State; he was a mechanic by trade, but devoted the
greater part of his attention to farming. He died in Batesville, in 1844. Of
his five children, our subject is now the only one living. Mrs. McHenry
afterward married William May, to which marriage one daughter was born, now
deceased. The mother died in Independence County, in 1862, aged about forty-
eight years. When but thirteen years of age, Richard A. left home to work for
himself. engaging at anything that he could, farming and working on a
steamboat. In July, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Eighth Arkansas Confederate
Infantry, and served nine months, being discharged at Nashville, Tenn., on
account of disability. In 1863 he reenlisted, and was under command of Capt.
Knight, Col. Sweet's regiment, during the Missouri raid, participating in
several skirmishes–among them Pilot Knob, Independence and Kansas City. After
the war Mr. McHenry returned to Independence County, Ark., and turned his
attention to farming, his first purchase being eighty acres of land in the
bottoms of the White River. He now owns 880 acres of as fine farming land as
there is in the county, which he has acquired through enterprise and good
management. January 21, 1863, he married Rose Tunstall, a daughter of Thomas
Tunstall. She was born in Independence County, April 4, 1847. They have three
children living– Richard K., Katie N., wife of James Brooks, a farmer of
Independence County, and Rosa L. Those deceased are: Mary E., James L., James
I. and an infant. Mr. McHenry is a Royal Arch Mason, and in politics is a
Democrat. He is an industrious farmer, and has been very successful in his
chosen occupation.